Guard for pedal-openings of pianos.



H. B. VANHOOK. GUARD FOR PEDAL OPENINGS 0F PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 191] 1,027,291 v I PaJJent edMayZI,191.2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BRUCE VANHOOK, OF WASHINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA.

GUARD FOR PEDAL-OPENINGS 0F PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 13, 1911.

Patented May 21, 1912.

Serial No. 626,958.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY BRUCE VAN- HOOK, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of WVashington, in the county of Beaufort and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guards for Pedal- Openings of Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical instruments and particularly to a vermin proof pedal and pedal openings therefor.

An object of this invention is to provide a case for a musical instrument such as a piano in which pedals are employed, the said case having a pedal opening therein, and novel means associated with the pedal and coacting with the surfaces of the case to guard the pedal opening of the case against the entrance of mice or the like.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combined pedal and guard, the said guard being preferably integral with the pedal and in combination therewith a novel case with which the guard of the pedal coincides and coacts.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a fragment of a piano case with a pedal applied thereto; and Fig. 2 illustrates a detail sectional view of the case with the pedal in elevation.

In these drawings 3 denotes a front panel or wall of a piano case having pedal openings such as l therein and a base or bottom 5 to which the front panel or wall of the case is connected. The pedal 6 shown herein has the outer foot engaged portion 7 of any appropriate type. The pedal has a flange 8 and is also provided with a downwardly and inwardly extending flange 9 at the front of the pedal opening, the said flange 9 serving to guard the said opening when the pedal opening is in an elevated position. As shown, the front edge of the bottom or base 5 is beveled as at 11. The inner surface of the flange 9 is beveled to coincide with the angle of the bevel on the edge of the base 5 in order that the inner surface of the lug may travel approximately parallel with the beveled surface of the bottom or base 5 when the pedal is depressed. The flange 9 enters a portion of the pedal opening in the case when the pedal is in its the pedal opening in musical instruments and the pedals of the construction noted can be applied to cases now in use without material change in the case further than the beveling of the bottom to correspond to the construction of the member 5 shown in the drawings.

I claim In combination with an upright piano case having a pedal opening, a pedal having integral upwardly and downwardly extending flanges, the said upwardly extending flange standing at approximately right angles to the pedal, the downwardly extending flange being inclined rearwardly and fitting in the pedal opening, and a piano base below the case, said base having its front edge extending to a point near the downwardly extending flange, said base being beveled rearwardly from its upper surface to its lower surface, the angle of the bevel being substantially equal to the inclination of the downwardly extending flange.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY BRUCE VANHOOK.

Witnesses:

W. L. VAUGHAN, J. B. Ross.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

